blinkBL_NK (2010 – 2013)
blinkBL_NK was a monthly speaker series where regular people shared their expertise about fascinating topics in a laid back environment. Each event featured three 20 minute talks followed by Q&A. Founded in 2009, blinkBL_NK hosted 29 events and ~80 talks on everything from taxi pricing and sea piracy to gay rights and cultural heritage in Singapore. I was the main emcee for the event and helped source the speakers.
Key Links
- FB page, with lots of event pictures
- TedX talk about founding blinlBL_NK
- A nice article about blinlBL_NK
Backstory
I co-founded blinkBL_NK with Syaheed of Bedsty and Vika Enti and ChewLin Kay in an effort to connect with new people and contribute something to Singapore. The format for blinkBL_NK was inspired by Nerd Nite, a multi-city speaker series driven by my friend Matt Wasowski. We also took inspiration from the TEDx program, which had kicked off a few months before we started. After incubating the event at hackerspace.sg, we shifted to Blu Jaz Cafe. blinkBL_NK’s informal and eclectic take on the speaker series allowed it to remain unique and vital even as Singapore’s monthly calendar filled up with an array of presentations and networking events.